Proposals for tackling growing inequalities in the EU came in thick and fast during a debate organised by the S&D group. The debate was held during the plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday 7 February and saw MEPs clashing on the causes of these inequalities and the possible solutions.
The S&D group suggested a range of measures on this occasion. The temporary President, Udo Bullmann (S&D, Germany), called on the European Commission, on the lines of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the poverty eradication goals set out by the UN, to take the following measures: to develop a strategy for reducing inequalities as part of the European Semester; a roadmap for eradicating poverty; a directive for guaranteeing decent working conditions and a minimum wage index in Europe. The objective of this index would be to set out "appropriate" minimum wages in each member state.
During the debate, many MEPs recognised that the economic recovery was not being accompanied by wage increases or a substantial decline in unemployment and inequality.
The opinions, however, significantly diverged when it came to defining the source of the problem. Many on the left and among the Greens, such as Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA, Belgium), denounced the economic austerity policies, while others, on the right, such as Bill Etheridge (EFDD, United Kingdom), criticised the weight of the state that created a burden on the poorest economies.
With regard to the solutions, the points of view differed just as much. Some MEPs called for local initiatives to be supported, such as Syed Kamall (ECR, United Kingdom) as a means of rectifying socio-economic disparities efficiently. In this regard, Georgi Pirinski (S&D, Bulgaria) highlighted the role of cohesion policy for tackling regional inequalities and called for this policy to be supported in the next multi-annual financial framework. Geoffroy Didier (EPP, France) suggested that the youth employment initiative should lower the eligibility threshold for calculating unemployment and reduce it from 25% to 20% as a means of covering a larger number of regions. Mr Etheridge called for an end to immigration from Asia and Africa and to leave the European Union.
Emphasis on training. Nonetheless, there was one area in which consensus appeared to be developing across the political spectrum: the need to emphasise education and training from a very early age, as well as facilitating the acquisition of new digital skills for workers as a means of responding to labour market requirements. In this regard, Anne Sander (EPP, France) highlighted the importance of upgrading learning strategies.
In response to the contributions made, the Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Marianne Thyssen said that they needed to take action with regard to digital skills for workers by developing training modules and promoting continuous training.
The Commissioner said that she was in favour of increasing wages in certain circumstances and in certain member states. She also considers that the fight against inequalities can only be done collectively and at all levels, including the European, national and local levels. Finally, she called for all projects on the ground to be supported and in this regard, referred to the European Social Fund, which she is also planning to radically overhaul (see EUROPE 11954). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)